3 Tools to Help you Discover your Personal Brand Strengths
Discover what makes you special and where to put your precious time.
Knowing your personal brand strengths can be difficult. But, when you take the time to embrace your strengths, you begin carving your edge.
My business story began when I was 14. I took my first business class and fell in love - especially with marketing.
Following Year 12, I received a Governor’s Merit Award for the subject. I went on to complete a Bachelor of Commerce (Marketing and Management). I also gained a Professional Diploma from the Chartered Institute of Marketing. And later an MBA, where my passion for supporting its community saw me take on the role of MBA Alumni President.
I could talk about business all day. When I’m not running my own, I read, watch videos, listen to podcasts and blog about it. I often say I feel blessed to have found what I loved in high school.
So, why does it matter? Because this love story could have been a much briefer tale.
In high school, if you qualified, you would automatically go to advanced maths classes. Which is where I found myself.
I knew I didn’t belong there. My classmates wanted to be engineers and similar. Meanwhile, I was fascinated by Cadbury’s patented and instantly recognisable purple Pantone.
After the first maths class, I went home to complain to mum. To this day, I’m grateful she understood me enough to take my concerns seriously. She wrote to the school to have me “dropped down” - to business maths. One of the best decisions I’ve made.
I could play to my strengths.
Playing to your strengths is the foundation of personal branding. Like in the infamous Animal School fable. Let fish swim.
But, how can you discover what your personal brand strengths are? Here are my three favourite tools:
1. VIA Institute of Character
The VIA Institute of Character website offers a free Character Strengths Survey.
It takes less than 15 minutes. And can increase your understanding of the strongest qualities of your personal brand. Based on your results, you’ll see how 24 different strengths rank for you. And most importantly, what tops the list.
As VIA highlights, applying your strengths helps increase your:
Confidence
Happiness
Relationships
Work performance
It helps you manage problems and reduce stress. While also helping you achieve your goals, and build meaning and purpose.
VIA states
“Workers who use four or more of their signature strengths at work have more positive work experiences and report their work is a calling in their life.”
So, if you want to build a personal brand doing work you love and creating a legacy you’re proud of, play to your strengths.
2. Myers-Briggs
The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator was developed by Isabel Myers and Katherine Briggs. The mother-daughter duo’s work was based on Carl Jung's theory of personality types. And was designed to understand personality types, strengths and preferences.
I have done the Myers-Briggs personality type assessment at least half a dozen times. While this isn’t the case for everyone, each time I record the same result.
When you may have lost your way slightly, it’s a nice reminder of your authentic self - of the person you are. So, if needed, you have a few clues to help find your way home.
The Myers-Briggs instrument includes 16 possible personality types. Each is based on four dimensions:
Extraversion (E) and Introversion (I)
Sensing (S) and Intuition (N)
Thinking (T) and Feeling (F)
Judging (J) or Perceiving (P)
Based on your results, you’re given a four-letter code (e.g ENFJ). This is a reflection of how you most strongly align for each dimension.
I use Truity’s free online version of the test, which is based on the Myers-Briggs profiles. There are key strengths associated with each profile.
The human brain has a natural affinity for storytelling. The profiles make sense of information by attaching it to characters. These profiles help you understand the character you play in your personal brand.
3. Tick Personality Profiles
Des Hunt’s What Makes People Tick Is described as Australia’s quiet bestseller.
The assessment tool contained in the book helps you determine which of four bird personalities you are:
Peacock
Dove
Eagle
Owl
In addition to a primary result, it will likely offer a combination result. I’ve participated in the Tick Personality Profiles with an entire organisation. The results were undeniable. The complete 16 Myers-Briggs profiles can be easy to forget. But, Hunt's simplified options resonate easily.
Like Myers-Briggs, it also outlines the strengths of each profile.
A strong foundation for your personal brand is built on your strengths themselves. Understand them to increase your chance of a positive work experience. One in alignment with your authentic self and fulfilling in the long term.
So, what are your personal brand strengths?
